Hi everyone,

Here is the instruction of how to make a voltage stabilizer for our cars. Although it has many names such as hypervoltage system, ground or volt stabilizer, they are all the same. Their prices range from $60-$220, but you can do it yourself for less than $40. :) . Personally, I don't know exactly what is inside the box. So what I describe below is based on my knowledge as an electrical engineer.

The voltage stabilizer is used as a filter and a secondary voltage storage for your car. Although the battery itself acts as a large capacitor, it doesn't respond to all current fluxuation in your car. Voltage stabilizer help supplying or absorbing transient current so that electrical inteference is suppressed and more energy from the alternator is stored.

As a result, the engine will run smoother and quiter. Its throttle response will improve. You also get more miles from your gas.

It consists of capacitors connected in parallel. High capacitor value should be use to maximize the filtering effect. Both electrolyict and ceramic capacitors should be use to cover broad frequency range. For battery protection, I add a 3-5A fuse. You can dress it up with some LED lights, but it will just drain up your battery a bit.


Here is the part list:
1. 3-foot 4 or 8AWG wire and 2 ring terminals
2. Plastic enclosure
3. 4 16V Electrolytic capacitors
4. 4 16V Ceramic capacitors
5. a fuse and a fuse holder
6. 2-side sticky tape
7. pre-drilled PCB board


First, Cut the wire and connect each wire with a ring terminal. Then drill 2 holes on the plastic box. Align capacitors in parallel on the PCB board and solder them. Be aware that the electrolytic capacitors have polarity. You should connect all the capacitor's negative terminals to the same point of the PCB board and similary for the positive terminal as shown in the schematic.

http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/data/500/8326Drawing2.jpg

This is what inside the box. wires, PCB, CAPs, a fuse and a fuse holder:
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/data/500/8326Insidethebox.jpg

Zoom in image of the caps
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/data/500/8326Caps.jpg


Then connect one of the fuse holder port to the positive terminal of the capacitors. Insert the positive wire though the box and solder it the PCB board at the other end of the fuse holder. Afterthat, insert the negative wire though the box and solder it the PCB board. Close the box's lid and your voltage stabilizer will look some thing like this:

http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2499&sort=4&cat=500

Installation: Just connect its + terminal to the + battery terminal and then connect - terminal to the - battery terminal. You will see some spark :twisted: . It would be best to charge the unit with a power supply before you hook it up to the battery. I stick my voltage stabilizer on top of the fuse box using a piece of sticky tape. The ECU needs about 1-2 days to adjust itself once you install the your voltage stabilizer, but you should see some improvement immediately.

The system should last for at least 3-5 years.

IMPORTANT NOTE! improper connections may cause the fuse to break or it may drain your car's battery. Good luck! :)

Mike (Mikochu), please put this in the Tech section!

Another Mad Mike creation I'll have to try!

man i need some better pics of how it is all connected to the board. i'm pretty sure id fry somethin or just make a really crappy looking plastic crap box.

The stuff inside doesn't look that pretty to show, that what the plastic box is for :). Anyway, make sure that the wiring for the positive terminal is not connected to the wiring of th neganative both inside or outside of the box and you won't fry anything .

no i wanna see the wiring in and out of the capacitors.

OK, I'm not a electrical engineer, but I would love to know what current four little electrolytic capacitors can supply that a full-size lead-acid starting battery cannot. I wasn't aware of any great current time-lag, or internal resistance losses in such a battery.

Now, I can see the advantage of a capacitor on the far end of a long wire run next to a device (like an audio amp) that has transient high current needs. It fills in the voltage drop caused by drawing large currents through the wire. Next to the battery, this advantage seems to be lost.

Also, wouldn't it be easier to use one larger capacitor instead of several smaller caps in parallel? I note that you didn't specify a value for the caps except for a voltage. 16V seems me to be cutting it a bit close on a system running ~14V. 25V would be safer,

I've seen these devices built for the Japanese market, housed in transparent boxes showing off the row of electrolytics, but frankly it seems like nicely-packaged snake oil to me.

this may be . i wanna see some company with any type of this get individually dynoed and un-biased tests with cars other than the owners ones

OK, I'm not a electrical engineer, but I would love to know what current four little electrolytic capacitors can supply that a full-size lead-acid starting battery cannot. I wasn't aware of any great current time-lag, or internal resistance losses in such a battery.


It only help supplying transient current for less than <100ms, you will not notice it, but the computer will. It mostly acts as a filter. In electronic stuff, steady power supply in very important. Ripple in power supply also cause instability in some amplifier (I mean sensor stuffs, not audio). Let's say.. it makes a better environment for electronic systems to operate.

Also, wouldn't it be easier to use one larger capacitor instead of several smaller caps in parallel?

Yes, and No. Typicall, a large cap has smaller ESR (equivalent series resistance) and has higher ripple current, which is good :). It is bulkly and difficult to package. It's frequency response is limited. Also, its price (capacity/$) is more expensive than the small capacitor.

I use 16V caps because I can get higher capacitor values. It is more compact and cheaper ;) . Yes, the battery is running at 14V and It won't go above that, unless there is something wrong with the alternator and the battery will be damaged anyway. I was first thinking about using the 25V caps, then I find justifications to use the 16V caps instead. The capacitor can withstand voltage ripple of more than 16V, but it cannot withstand "steady" voltage of more than 16V, so it should be safe.

The main reason I make this myself is that I want to know if it works without spending too much money on it.

can we see a visual picture of the insides pls

I'm too lazy right now to take of its lid and take a picture in the cold weather :wink: . Anyway, I will post the picture of the inside.

I'll "FAQtify" this thread once a more thorough tutorial is made...either by Kong, myself, or someone else. For now, it will be sticky'd.

Sorry guys, I totally forgot to take a photo inside the voltage stabilizer box. I'll do it this week end.

not this weekend do it now, lol

your so lazy :silly:

...

They sell something like this on EBay and I couldn't imagine
what it was, though I do understand basic electronics.

Thanks for your description Kong. Seeing as how I'm teaching
myself to build Vacuum Tube Guitar amps, your ripple filter
makes much more sense now. All you need is a spiffy chrome
box to put it in!

just a surrealistic idear

make a voltage stablizer out of the vacuum tubes boy that would be so OLD school!!!

As promised, I have taken some photos and added to thread above. Now you see what are inside.

If you have any question about how to make it, feel free to PM me.

Happy moding :)

where the 4 16V Ceramic capacitors at???

and from your pic on your car it looks like its hooked up stright to your pos. and neg. terminals, is that right??? :eyebrow: :eyebrow: :eyebrow:

where the 4 16V Ceramic capacitors at???

and from your pic on your car it looks like its hooked up stright to your pos. and neg. terminals, is that right??? :eyebrow: :eyebrow: :eyebrow:

They are one the other side of the PCB. Each one is connected between the electrolytic cap terminal.

would a 9v battery work to charge the unit before hook-up?

would a 9v battery work to charge the unit before hook-up?

yes, but it might drain the 9v battery

would a 9v battery work to charge the unit before hook-up?

yes, but it might drain the 9v battery
hi kong, newbies here,did u got my message?

No, I didn't get it. Please resend.

No, I didn't get it. Please resend.
ok, here goes..frm wat i can c there, u merely use caps to stabilize d voltage, i tink tat doesnt work well, wat does a caps do? it increase d power factor,stored,discharge,nchargin,filter pulses,to stabilize it?i dun tink so,frm wat i go thru,3 forums so far,most diy volt stab merely using CAPS only.

Dude, you can't use regulator. You will loose power. For example, if your car need 3A of current and you have a 12V regulator, you will lose (14-12)*3=6W of power at the regulator. If there is no ventilation around the heatsink, the regulator will heat up very quickly and fail.

The cap works as the powe supply filter, it reduces the voltage ripple so that the overall electric system has less noise. Many part in the car relies on electrical sensor, and noise cause error in sensor readings -> error in fuel/air ratio. The cap indirectly reduce error from noise coupling through power supply.

Dude, you can't use regulator. You will loose power. For example, if your car need 3A of current and you have a 12V regulator, you will lose (14-12)*3=6W of power at the regulator. If there is no ventilation around the heatsink, the regulator will heat up very quickly and fail.

The cap works as the powe supply filter, it reduces the voltage ripple so that the overall electric system has less noise. Many part in the car relies on electrical sensor, and noise cause error in sensor readings -> error in fuel/air ratio. The cap indirectly reduce error from noise coupling through power supply.
hi kong, i saw ur post which u diy by using some caps only, may i know d values of each caps ur using?thks

10,000uF for the electrolytic caps and 100uF for the ceramic caps.

OK, I'm not a electrical engineer, but I would love to know what current four little electrolytic capacitors can supply that a full-size lead-acid starting battery cannot. I wasn't aware of any great current time-lag, or internal resistance losses in such a battery.


It only help supplying transient current for less than <100ms, you will not notice it, but the computer will. It mostly acts as a filter. In electronic stuff, steady power supply in very important. Ripple in power supply also cause instability in some amplifier (I mean sensor stuffs, not audio). Let's say.. it makes a better environment for electronic systems to operate.

Also, wouldn't it be easier to use one larger capacitor instead of several smaller caps in parallel?

Yes, and No. Typicall, a large cap has smaller ESR (equivalent series resistance) and has higher ripple current, which is good :). It is bulkly and difficult to package. It's frequency response is limited. Also, its price (capacity/$) is more expensive than the small capacitor.

I use 16V caps because I can get higher capacitor values. It is more compact and cheaper ;) . Yes, the battery is running at 14V and It won't go above that, unless there is something wrong with the alternator and the battery will be damaged anyway. I was first thinking about using the 25V caps, then I find justifications to use the 16V caps instead. The capacitor can withstand voltage ripple of more than 16V, but it cannot withstand "steady" voltage of more than 16V, so it should be safe.

The main reason I make this myself is that I want to know if it works without spending too much money on it.
kong, i tink by using a 25V caps is much better , consider u start ur engine, ever tink of the surge? it might be more than 16v .

when you start the engine, the voltage actually drop slightly. You can see that the lights are dimmer when you start the car.

when you start the engine, the voltage actually drop slightly. You can see that the lights are dimmer when you start the car.
the light is dimmer coz the engine is drawing a very high current at tat moment. i am not too sure, but i tink its more or less surge

erm... any1 haf any circuitary which not only use caps to stabilize but other components as well? :yawn:

I have some flux capacitors that I'm letting go real cheap.

10,000uF for the electrolytic caps and 100uF for the ceramic caps.
hi kong, i haf jus diy using ur idea,well it seems tat , there is no such 100uF ceramic caps in the market., i wonder if u haf mix up wit the caps types.oh ya, about the DIy, i use 100 uf electrolytic caps n it doesnt work at all, when i turn on d head lamps it was ok but when i switch on the signal light, the light blinks follow the signal light, why is tat so, anyway the voltage also drops, not consistent at all, wel,,, as i cited b4, i dun tink merely CAPS will do all the wonders as a V.S. any advice ???

^^^^ Get off the pipe! :rofl:

^^^^ Get off the pipe! :rofl:
it seems like dis V.S diy forum, goin to shut down sooner or later... untils ome1 cum up wit a better idea.. :bow:

10,000uF for the electrolytic caps and 100uF for the ceramic caps.
hi kong, i haf jus diy using ur idea,well it seems tat , there is no such 100uF ceramic caps in the market., i wonder if u haf mix up wit the caps types.oh ya, about the DIy, i use 100 uf electrolytic caps n it doesnt work at all, when i turn on d head lamps it was ok but when i switch on the signal light, the light blinks follow the signal light, why is tat so, anyway the voltage also drops, not consistent at all, wel,,, as i cited b4, i dun tink merely CAPS will do all the wonders as a V.S. any advice ???

Sorry for late reply.

The electrolytic caps might have been broken. Did you have the right polarity? The electolytic cap has positive and negative terminals. If you switch the terminal and connect to battery, it will die. When it is broken, it make a short connection to your battery. It could have been the ceramic capacitor, make sure that it is rated 16V or above.

I bought caps from Digikey.com . you can also use several ceramic capacitors combined in parallel.

I have been using it for 4 months now and it works just fine. I made several sets for my friends and no one has problem with it.

If you need help immediately, pm me. I haven't visit the forum for quite a while.

If you guys are around DC, I have a set unused. We can meet and try it out.

10,000uF for the electrolytic caps and 100uF for the ceramic caps.
hi kong, i haf jus diy using ur idea,well it seems tat , there is no such 100uF ceramic caps in the market., i wonder if u haf mix up wit the caps types.oh ya, about the DIy, i use 100 uf electrolytic caps n it doesnt work at all, when i turn on d head lamps it was ok but when i switch on the signal light, the light blinks follow the signal light, why is tat so, anyway the voltage also drops, not consistent at all, wel,,, as i cited b4, i dun tink merely CAPS will do all the wonders as a V.S. any advice ???

Sorry for late reply.

The electrolytic caps might have been broken. Did you have the right polarity? The electolytic cap has positive and negative terminals. If you switch the terminal and connect to battery, it will die. When it is broken, it make a short connection to your battery. It could have been the ceramic capacitor, make sure that it is rated 16V or above.

I bought caps from Digikey.com . you can also use several ceramic capacitors combined in parallel.

I have been using it for 4 months now and it works just fine. I made several sets for my friends and no one has problem with it.

If you need help immediately, pm me. I haven't visit the forum for quite a while.

If you guys are around DC, I have a set unused. We can meet and try it out.
hi kong, my diy v.s also include a fuse, so if anything does happen , the fuse will blow 1st, i did check d capacitor after i connect it, looks ok, no leaking n no visible damage caps at all, i tink it might b the car problem, some leakage ... howw do i post my V.S??

10,000uF for the electrolytic caps and 100uF for the ceramic caps.
hi kong, i haf jus diy using ur idea,well it seems tat , there is no such 100uF ceramic caps in the market., i wonder if u haf mix up wit the caps types.oh ya, about the DIy, i use 100 uf electrolytic caps n it doesnt work at all, when i turn on d head lamps it was ok but when i switch on the signal light, the light blinks follow the signal light, why is tat so, anyway the voltage also drops, not consistent at all, wel,,, as i cited b4, i dun tink merely CAPS will do all the wonders as a V.S. any advice ???

Sorry for late reply.

The electrolytic caps might have been broken. Did you have the right polarity? The electolytic cap has positive and negative terminals. If you switch the terminal and connect to battery, it will die. When it is broken, it make a short connection to your battery. It could have been the ceramic capacitor, make sure that it is rated 16V or above.

I bought caps from Digikey.com . you can also use several ceramic capacitors combined in parallel.

I have been using it for 4 months now and it works just fine. I made several sets for my friends and no one has problem with it.

If you need help immediately, pm me. I haven't visit the forum for quite a while.

If you guys are around DC, I have a set unused. We can meet and try it out.
hi kong, my diy v.s also include a fuse, so if anything does happen , the fuse will blow 1st, i did check d capacitor after i connect it, looks ok, no leaking n no visible damage caps at all, i tink it might b the car problem, some leakage ... howw do i post my V.S??

use url of your image .

Is anybody else tried thing? matchbox and ufo are the only two person I know that make sets for their car.

wow, almost forgot this forum, booted my PC then forgotten this forum :D, anyway, i haf some suggestion KONG, use a better CAPS can improve our VS, suggestion , a better cap RUBYCON BLACKGATE. its expensive thou but am sure this caps works well. anyway kong .. dun haf the 100 uF ceramic caps u mentions, the market doesnt even haf this type of caps, thks anyway

OK, I give. Here is a question. If you are mainly concenrned about ripples effecting the ECU, why not hook this filter across the main fuse board or across the ECU itself instead of out in the battery compartment? All the engine sensors in a fuel injection system are typically grounded back thru the ECU, so why not just tap this thing across the + and - on the ECU up under the dash out of site somewhere. It's appears to be just a glofiried noise filter like what you would hook up to the + feed of a car stereo, or am I wrong here? I know the ECU drops down voltage to 5V inside to feed out to the engine sensors. Noise in the incomming 12V line effects the drop down to 5V that dramatically inside the ECU? Wouldn't the DC to DC converter inside the ECU have circuitry to gaurd against in-rush and current ripple on the main 12V source? Those units on the market with the clear cases and LED's just look like extra added bling for the engine compartment. If your going to make such a device, I gotta believe you would get the same filtering effect by cramming it under the dash out of site an hooking it across the main fuse board that all your interior power and ECU feed thru.....

I think the main purpose is to filter the ripple which is caused mainly by the alternator. Puting the cap accross the ECU also help but not by much because it ready has some internal filtering just like guzzijeff mentioned. By puting the filter at the bettery will reduce the overall system and it is easier to install. The noise can be reduced a bit more if we put a cap across the alternator terminal. Am I making too this technical ? :eyebrow:

thank u all master, finally some advices from all the SI FU.. hehehe hmm... Kong, can i ask u something?, haf u ever seen a VS using I.C ? if i not wrong i saw one b4, i mean I.C not for those battery indicating purpose but for VS

I have heard of IC cap, but I never seen one so I don't know how it works. Send me some link about it :)

hi kong, i haf some link u might b interested , here is d link www.z-stab.com , u will b delighted :eyebrow: , anyway i got some pic tat VS use IC to make, but not appropriate to shown it here.

I have read the technical section in the website. I know that using Electrolytic cap alone won't work. That's why I have some ceramic caps attached to the module to filter some high frequency signal.

He emphasis how the ripple from alternator effect the car performance. But he ends up hooking up the unit the battery directly (just like other hypervoltage system), which is what he refer to the "brute force method". In this case, there is not much thing you can do, otherthan putting more caps that response to wide range of frequency across the terminal.

If he actually want to control the althernator ripple, he should hook a separate wire from the alternator to the unit and then from it to the battery. If he does this, then I know that there is some controller (IC) involve in this unit.

Anyway, I still don't belive there is some power control circuitry inside that box. Also high quality caps is more responsive to ripple than using ICs to control ripple.

so, basically, wouldn't something like this marine product wired in series with the alternator smooth things out?


http://www.newmarpower.com/pdf/Manual-150A.pdf


they make 2 models
one filters 70kHz to 100 MHz
the other does audio to 200MHz

All your really looking to do is filter out the ripple from the alternator, right?

Yes, I think this would work just fine :) .

Yes, I think this would work just fine :) .
hi kong, its ok u reply late, hehhee

anyway, about this Z-stab VS, i read some bad comment about this stuff.. luckily i didnt buy it :D , hehhee can we build a snubb circuit on VS?

so, basically, wouldn't something like this marine product wired in series with the alternator smooth things out?


http://www.newmarpower.com/pdf/Manual-150A.pdf


they make 2 models
one filters 70kHz to 100 MHz
the other does audio to 200MHz

All your really looking to do is filter out the ripple from the alternator, right?
wow, cool explaination , cool stuff, wats tat? a VS or somekinda filter? :)

this is pretty complicated for the average joe. i think kong should just make a bunch of these and sell them cheap to scionlife members. just a thought.

It would be a good experience to make your own VS. I thought that it is simple enough that anyone can make one. But if you don't have time, I only have one set available for $45 shipped. I only do this as a hobby but if many people are interested, I will make some more.


anyway, about this Z-stab VS, i read some bad comment about this stuff.. luckily i didnt buy it , hehhee can we build a snubb circuit on VS?

snubber circuit shouldn't do any good since it absorbs high voltage surge and dissipates the ripple voltage as heat. It only acts as a protection circuit.

It would be a good experience to make your own VS. I thought that it is simple enough that anyone can make one. But if you don't have time, I only have one set available for $45 shipped. I only do this as a hobby but if many people are interested, I will make some more.


anyway, about this Z-stab VS, i read some bad comment about this stuff.. luckily i didnt buy it , hehhee can we build a snubb circuit on VS?

snubber circuit shouldn't do any good since it absorbs high voltage surge and dissipates the ripple voltage as heat. It only acts as a protection circuit.
thks kong :)

It should work with xA as well right ?

I mean its a very interesting mod, but I dont have the time to make one myself.

You still have any around Kong? 45 shipped ?

how many people have done this and noticed a difference?
i might do it with the ground wires when i get some time.

any ideas on how to check for the differences/improvements?

i am gonna be getting obd set up on my craptop soon. i'll try saving the mods until then. that way i can use obd to monitor mileage more easily.

cool. how much gas do you save?

It should work with xA as well right ?

I mean its a very interesting mod, but I dont have the time to make one myself.

You still have any around Kong? 45 shipped ?


Yes, I still have it. It works on any car as long as it has battery :)

cool. how much gas do you save?

Not much, about 0.5MPG, I guess. It mostly make your ride feel more comfortable - smoother.

What is that metal circle called and where did you get it?

http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/data/500/8326Voltage_stabilizer.jpg

It is a part of ground wire kit sold in ebay.

I'm sorry, but I just can't believe that a simple filter is going to make that much of a difference... I mean, c'mon, Toyota has to employ some high-dollar engineers, and you'd sure think they would put some sort of regulation on the voltage coming in to the ECU, and going out to the sensors. If Toyota could spend another $1-2 per vehicle and increase gas mileage by even 1 mpg, and make the vehicle run "so much smoother" -- they'd have already done it, or I should say they already have.

I'm sorry, but I just can't believe that a simple filter is going to make that much of a difference... I mean, c'mon, Toyota has to employ some high-dollar engineers, and you'd sure think they would put some sort of regulation on the voltage coming in to the ECU, and going out to the sensors. If Toyota could spend another $1-2 per vehicle and increase gas mileage by even 1 mpg, and make the vehicle run "so much smoother" -- they'd have already done it, or I should say they already have.

Be careful! People who have spent time and $$$ on the latest snake oil don't like it when you point that sort of thing out.

Paralleling a couple of little electrolytic caps with a big car battery doesn't stabilize a thing. Bridging ground wires across a thick aluminum engine block doesn't do much either. What it does do is look kewl and allows folks to think that they are "modding" their cars without having them screw anything up.

hi, i'm newbies here.. just wish to DIY vs for my car. But some question here, if i really cant find such 100uF ceramic caps in the market, is that any other can replace it?

Save your money for something worthwhile.

I'm sorry, but I just can't believe that a simple filter is going to make that much of a difference... I mean, c'mon, Toyota has to employ some high-dollar engineers, and you'd sure think they would put some sort of regulation on the voltage coming in to the ECU, and going out to the sensors. If Toyota could spend another $1-2 per vehicle and increase gas mileage by even 1 mpg, and make the vehicle run "so much smoother" -- they'd have already done it, or I should say they already have.

Be careful! People who have spent time and $$$ on the latest snake oil don't like it when you point that sort of thing out.

Paralleling a couple of little electrolytic caps with a big car battery doesn't stabilize a thing. Bridging ground wires across a thick aluminum engine block doesn't do much either. What it does do is look kewl and allows folks to think that they are "modding" their cars without having them screw anything up.

wow you think this looks cool???
i sould show you the underside of my shoe. you will think im GOD...

http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/data/500/8326Voltage_stabilizer.jpg

Um...the battery is good for handling low frequency power surges but sucks at filtering high frequency noise. Why do you think most after-market car stereos require a "filter" to be placed in the power line close to the radio and grounded? For car stereos the filter is needed to remove the high frequency noise produced by the alternator and ignition system. That same noise has an impact on the ecu, however you can bet that the Toyota engineers added filter capacitors inside the module. But here's the thing, a single filter can only remove X amount of noise from the system. The Toyota engineers probably added enough capacitive filtration to reduce the noise to a "reasonable" level. Reasonable in this context 'usually' means reducing variation (or the error rate) to 5000ppm. Adding additional filtration will likely reduce the error rate even further. It's still up for grabs weather the additional filtration actually results in a smoother idle, improved fuel economy, or quicker throttle response but you can be sure that your electrical system is less noisy and possibly have some kind of placebo effect on the driver.

I'll give it a try; I have access to some good sized capacitors 1000uF. I'll also throw in some smaller ceramic caps for good measure.

This is very interesting, and very logical, but in the ECU, the computer has its own power regulartors that maintain the functionality. every single circuit board i worked with that has some kind of microcontroller has these power regulators/filters. how well does this same principle work for the larger scale of a car battery and the car? also the grounding wires, how much of an efficiency impact will it have? and someone mentioned above. why arn't the 'professional' car dealers including these principles in the new vehicles they sell?
Filter systems are great. but does it work on a larger scale?

Um...the battery is good for handling low frequency power surges but sucks at filtering high frequency noise. Why do you think most after-market car stereos require a "filter" to be placed in the power line close to the radio and grounded?

Precisely! The key phrase here is "close to the radio". Putting a "voltage stabilizer" near the battery does nothing to eliminate high frequency noise picked up by the wires between the battery and load.

The proponents of this snake oil don't really talk about filtering, but claim that the capacitors prevent voltage sags. Possible, but to do that you would need some _large_ capacitors, not a few 100 microfarad electrolytics in a box.

George

Precisely! The key phrase here is "close to the radio". Putting a "voltage stabilizer" near the battery does nothing to eliminate high frequency noise picked up by the wires between the battery and load.

The proponents of this snake oil don't really talk about filtering, but claim that the capacitors prevent voltage sags. Possible, but to do that you would need some _large_ capacitors, not a few 100 microfarad electrolytics in a box.

George

Dude, why do you keep knocking Kong and calling it snake oil...I personally find it pretty annoying. I mean, it's not like he's trying to sell these things or make any money...he's actually trying to give people a cheaper diy way to stabilize the voltage in your vehicle. I do have a BSEE and you know what, in theory, his voltage stabalizer should do exactly as he says. He's not claiming it will add 5 hp or give you 40 mpg. He's saying it will smooth out your throttle response and give you MAYBE .5 mpg...and you can judge for yourself for a measly $35 in parts and probably an hour of your time at most. And if it doesn't do anything, who cares? eat bologna sandwiches for a week and call it even. I could understand knocking this thing if he were in any way trying to benefit himself with this thread but he's just trying to share his hobby that he thought was cool...give it a break man.

Also, I believe kong said he was using 100,000 uF electrolytic and 100 uF ceramic...and .01 F electrolytic * 4 = .04 F which isn't terribly small when you're talking about smoothing minor ripple.

Precisely! The key phrase here is "close to the radio". Putting a "voltage stabilizer" near the battery does nothing to eliminate high frequency noise picked up by the wires between the battery and load.

The proponents of this snake oil don't really talk about filtering, but claim that the capacitors prevent voltage sags. Possible, but to do that you would need some _large_ capacitors, not a few 100 microfarad electrolytics in a box.

George

Dude, why do you keep knocking Kong and calling it snake oil...I personally find it pretty annoying. I mean, it's not like he's trying to sell these things or make any money...he's actually trying to give people a cheaper diy way to stabilize the voltage in your vehicle. I do have a BSEE and you know what, in theory, his voltage stabalizer should do exactly as he says. He's not claiming it will add 5 hp or give you 40 mpg. He's saying it will smooth out your throttle response and give you MAYBE .5 mpg...and you can judge for yourself for a measly $35 in parts and probably an hour of your time at most. And if it doesn't do anything, who cares? eat bologna sandwiches for a week and call it even. I could understand knocking this thing if he were in any way trying to benefit himself with this thread but he's just trying to share his hobby that he thought was cool...give it a break man.

Also, I believe kong said he was using 100,000 uF electrolytic and 100 uF ceramic...and .01 F electrolytic * 4 = .04 F which isn't terribly small when you're talking about smoothing minor ripple.

I am not knocking kong or any other person. I discuss ideas, not personalities. The idea that the voltage needs to be stabilized is an excellent example of "snake oil", so that's what I call it.

No, the cost of chasing this ghost isn't excessive, although not as cheap as you say if 100000 microfarad capacitors are actually used. Those are expensive in the voltage ratings required for this application. I figure about $75 total including the box, wires, terminals, etc. if 100000 microfarad capacitors of proper voltage ratings are used.

Large capacitors such as these are only available in low voltage ratings and someone might be tempted to save a few bucks by using 16V capacitors since the system is a nominal 12V. There is a possibility that they would end up with a fire if the capacitor shorts out in this unfused circuit. An experimenter would actually be safer if using smaller capacitors (say 1000 microfarad) with higher voltage ratings, and the result would be equally ineffective. :)

In any case, it's a lot of effort to put into a problem that doesn't exist!

^^^^^^ :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: Exactly!

Anyone have an update? What size are the ceramic caps? I know 16 v but what capacitance? I'd like to try this myself.

I have an electronic background, so I'm curious.

If you have an electronic background you should know better...........

If you have an electronic background you should know better...........

I know that a grounding kit, more so on an older car than a newer car, works wonderfull. I know this because I've tried it. It doesn't add 100 hp or anything, just makes things run smoother. I find there are a few people on here that are too quick to post "That's BS". I said I was curious, not looking for huge gains or anything. Please refrain from the negative comments. I'm not interested in hearing that thisi doesn't work, unless you've actually tried it.

I never tried eating Draino, but I know it's not too good for you. I know a thing or two about automotive electronics too............. :lalala:

I never tried eating Draino, but I know it's not too good for you. I know a thing or two about automotive electronics too............. :lalala:


If you know about automotive electronics then you know that ground points decay over time, electronics need filters and computers are very easily affected by voltage irregularities. I work in the automotive industry and I know enough about electonics/automotive electronics to know that this has the posibility to work, or companies wouldn't spend the money to make the products. I've seen new cars with sever problems due to small electrical issues. I've seen engineers making six figues make mistakes that make it to the public in the vehicles that are released. I've worked with R&D programs that deal with electrical issues and the simple fixes that made huge differences. A lot of the cost of products is the research, overhead and profit. If you can do something like this yourself then great. Don't fault those of us interested in trying something out of curiousity.

Have your ground points decayed? Do your electronics not already have filters?Does your computer not already have a quite competent power supply?Do you have some sort of problem now that you are trying to alleviate?Good luck with all that......Be sure to post up your stunning results. :doh:

Have your ground points decayed? Do your electronics not already have filters?Does your computer not already have a quite competent power supply?Do you have some sort of problem now that you are trying to alleviate?Good luck with all that......Be sure to post up your stunning results. :doh:


You are a certified idiot. I'm really glad I wasted my breath on you. Don't worry, I won't make the mistake after this.

Have your ground points decayed? Do your electronics not already have filters?Does your computer not already have a quite competent power supply?Do you have some sort of problem now that you are trying to alleviate?Good luck with all that......Be sure to post up your stunning results. :doh:

I'm fairly sure that most folk who spends time and effort chasing a problem, real or imagined, will feel some "results" from their efforts whether they are real or not. It's human nature.

In order to make any real judgement, measureable data has to be collected both before and after any modification. A result of "feels smoother" is subjective, not objective.

if you don't think the mod is worthwhile or does nothing at all, simple, don't do it. if you think cars are perfect from factory, i guess recalls are a thing of fantasy. if your going to spit on an idea/mod someone is sharing with everyone, not forcing you to do it, because you don't think it will do anything, because obviously engineers are infallable, then you have no buisness being a part of this thread. ideas are scoffed at by the ignorant.

"If man was meant to fly god would have given him wings" thank god there were a few thinkers out there who refused to believe that one and try new things.

Aren't some silly ideas scoffed at by the educated? :lalala:

are you trying to say the educated can't also be ignorant? it would appear as though they can be synonomous at times... :eyebrow:

anyways i just get tired of all the negative air a lot of these threads get... but i guess that's just human nature to need some sort of turmoil and drama...

If they are educated about the topic at hand, ignorance, by definition would be excluded. So how educated are you when it comes to automotive electrical systems? :lalala:

Why is this crap stickied?

I'd actually really like to do this... any chance you could reload the pictures? they're not working for me...

Wonder if this will help with my head lights or fan seep of blower lowering slightly at idle, then returning to normal speed?

Wonder if this will help with my head lights or fan seep of blower lowering slightly at idle, then returning to normal speed?

No. Doesn't store enough energy to run these things for even a second.

ok so im a little new, but i have done alot of research on this and talk to a&j racing about the voltage stabilizer, and what you pretty much described is an ignition booster, but you hook it to the ignition fuse. it seems more likely to give better performance by connecting it to the ignition fuse, but you can run both in conjunction and get best results. what do you guys think? think that it wired under the dash to the ignition fuse would help or give better spark?




OK, I give. Here is a question. If you are mainly concenrned about ripples effecting the ECU, why not hook this filter across the main fuse board or across the ECU itself instead of out in the battery compartment? All the engine sensors in a fuel injection system are typically grounded back thru the ECU, so why not just tap this thing across the + and - on the ECU up under the dash out of site somewhere. It's appears to be just a glofiried noise filter like what you would hook up to the + feed of a car stereo, or am I wrong here? I know the ECU drops down voltage to 5V inside to feed out to the engine sensors. Noise in the incomming 12V line effects the drop down to 5V that dramatically inside the ECU? Wouldn't the DC to DC converter inside the ECU have circuitry to gaurd against in-rush and current ripple on the main 12V source? Those units on the market with the clear cases and LED's just look like extra added bling for the engine compartment. If your going to make such a device, I gotta believe you would get the same filtering effect by cramming it under the dash out of site an hooking it across the main fuse board that all your interior power and ECU feed thru.....

ok so im a little new, but i have done alot of research on this and talk to a&j racing about the voltage stabilizer, and what you pretty much described is an ignition booster, but you hook it to the ignition fuse. it seems more likely to give better performance by connecting it to the ignition fuse, but you can run both in conjunction and get best results. what do you guys think? think that it wired under the dash to the ignition fuse would help or give better spark?

Holy Thread Resurrection!

Go back and read the whole thread, and then talk to someone knowledgeable about ignitions who _doesn't_ sell these things.

[QUOTE= if using smaller capacitors (say 1000 microfarad) with higher voltage ratings, and the result would be equally ineffective. :)

In any case, it's a lot of effort to put into a problem that doesn't exist![/QUOTE]

That is soooooooo obvious !
Kong Tai Wah = BS (That's the Honest-to-goodness translation)

An engineer cannot spell capacitor correctly ? and numerous other component names as well.... BS man, BS

bachelors of science? :rofl:

so does anyone actually have any proof if this mod helps or changes anything?

so does anyone actually have any proof if this mod helps or changes anything?

<sound of crickets chirping>

Question answered!

It's just BS. The wires between the components and capacitors will pick up any noise anyway. All the components that need filtering already have them on their boards. It's a waste of time and money, just like the ground-wire systems, vortex intakes, and engine oil additives.

These cars aren't perfect - lots can be modded and improved. Just not these areas. Alternators have perfectly reasonable voltage regulators.

Hi ... I'm new here. I've read your article. quite interesting. But I can't see the pictures. Mr. Kong, can you send me the pictures.

Thanks.

Hi ... I'm new here. I've read your article. quite interesting. But I can't see the pictures...

I have some prime bottomland in Florida that might interest you...

All of the important sensors run off of a regulated 5 volts from the ecu so this will have no effect on them.

I have some prime bottomland in Florida that might interest you...

I'm interested. Can you explain in more details. Tq.:icon_smile: